Miners, farmers highlight difficulties in the aftermath of flood disaster
Queensland's mining and agricultural industries bore the brunt of the worst flood disaster that hit Australia in the past weeks and as the situation slowly gains normalcy, apprehensions rule the atmosphere for both sectors.
Farmers in the region who suffered tremendous losses practically scrape what's left as floodwaters start to recede but for Queensland growers help is on the way in the form of a milk company extending cash assistance and recovery aids.
National Food said on Friday that it is offering help on a case-to-case basis since those affected by the disaster have different needs as company spokeswoman Leela Sutton added that the financial aid would be provided without interest.
Sutton stressed that the assistance coming from National Food should afford some form relief for farmers' cash flow and should give them enough leeway for repayment at a later time.
National Food said that it intends to spread the recovery package to other parts of the country directly affected by the flooding.
Meanwhile, it appears too that the state's resource production indeed absorbed huge damages but a far worst scenario is its ability to produce has been effectively stalled and for how long, Queensland stakeholders could not say at this time.
According to the Queensland Resources Council, resumption of full production for the state's mining activities is still remote while the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has reported that many workers have been missing their job duties due to the floods.
CFMEU spokesman Jim Valery expressed fears that these workers could eventually lose their job as most of them are presently employed on contract basis and they too "have suffered emotional, physical and financial losses during these floods."
Valery also pointed to the possibility that risks may face these miners upon their return to work sites as the group called on mining operators to ensure that safety is being given prime importance as workers start returning to mining sites.
The group is hoping that safety would not be compromised in order to hastily resume full production capacity as Valery stressed that "we don't want to see any senseless injuries or other incidents that could well be prevented just by taking a breath and ensuring things are safe."